The Labour leadership contenders talk about their personal backgrounds during a Five Live debate

Comments

[Andrew]

A less impressive or inspiring group of contenders it would be hard to find.

Why do the Millibands never mention their being Jewish?

Abbott is so cretinous and witless that she can't even answer a simple question whether she prefers TV or politics.

Burnham may as well be made of plastic he is so lacking in character and depth.

How has the country of Gladstone, Disraeli, Churchill and Thatcher fallen so low?

[Snake]

What a total freakshow.

[JCS]

The MIlibands both speak very often of being the children of Jewish refugees so I think the point made byAndrew is nonsense. I think the party of Hague, IDS, Gove are the last to be able to talk about freakshows!

[AnOn]

A bigger bunch of misfits, has-beens and odd-balls has seldom been collected together in one place.

Whoever they choose it will be a triumph for the Conservatives.

[john parkes]

This is a very important leadership election. The country needs an effective opposition in Parliament and Labour had better do what it can to provide one sooner rather than later. If they fail in this respect, opposition will emerge in unexpected and unwanted places (eg in Labour-controlled local government during the Thatcher years when Labour in Parliament were so inept. The Thatcher reaction was to emasculate local government and we have all suffered for it since).
It is unfortunate that the field for choice is now so limited and displays all the bad effects of Parliament being full of a political class that know nothing except Party politics. The dangers of preventing MPs from having interests outside Parliament is manifest in this group of political apparatchiks that have done little else, which limits both their experience and effectiveness.